


Cat Burglar

by dashvroomvroomarmboonboon



Series: Cat Burglar [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cat/Human Hybrids, Dog/Human Hybrids, Ferret/Human Hybrids, Hybrids, I really don't know what this is, Jun is a snake hybrid, JunHao - Freeform, M/M, Minghao is a dog hybrid, No Smut, Nurse Jeonghan and Doctor Seungcheol, Snake/Juman Hybrids, Soonhoon - Freeform, and Chan is a ferret hybrid, and Soonyoung is human, but if you like it thank you for reading :), hybrid seventeen, jeongcheol - Freeform, jihoon is a cat hybrid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:41:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23626303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dashvroomvroomarmboonboon/pseuds/dashvroomvroomarmboonboon
Summary: Jihoon is a cat hybrid that Soonyoung finds sleeping in the garbage, and takes home. In the course of a single day and night both of their worlds are turned completely upside down, but definitely for the better.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Series: Cat Burglar [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2008009
Comments: 15
Kudos: 213





	1. Garbage

**Author's Note:**

> Hi loves! I've written on here before just under a different name, and I'm really hoping that someone somewhere likes this, because I worked really really hard on it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! If this gets positive reviews, I might start a series of one-shots based around this fic, but I don't really know what's gonna happen, so we'll see. Also, this entire fic is finished, but I'm posting half of it now, and the other half later, so I'll be updating the second part in a week.

Jihoon preferred to do his hunting at night. That way, there were no humans to mess with him. He just covered his usual territory, hissing at mice that tried scurrying past _his_ garbage cans and yowling when rain began pouring down from above. He hated rain.

So, because this was all normal, everyday routine for Jihoon, he hadn’t known that an human was coming down the street _right_ as he let out a soft meow, having found a sheltered spot from the rain. He heard a gasp from the street, hissing and burrowing himself down deep in the trash can to hide himself when he heard footsteps thumping towards him. Unfortunately, the lid opened all the way and a hand grasped Jihoon under his tummy, and lifted him out into the rain completely. 

Jihoon hissed viciously, claws swiping at the human’s arms. He saw angry red lines appear on the human’s skin, but they didn’t work in hindering his smile at all. 

“Hi~! Aren’t you just the _cutest_! Oh, yes you are! What’s your name, hm?” The human cooed at Jihoon, bringing the tiny, malnourished cat into his chest. Jihoon yowled, teeth digging into the human’s hand, just barely not drawing blood. But again, the human seemed unfazed by Jihoon’s _vicious fangs_ , instead curling his hand in a way that just gave Jihoon better access. 

“Here, come with me kitty, we can get you some chew toys, then you won’t have to use my hand! And we’ll get you some food, and a bed, and maybe even a little sweater! Would you like a sweater?”

Jihoon wanted to scream _nO_ , but all he could do was meow, so he did just that, wriggling and squirming as much as he could so that the human had to keep readjusting his grip on the cat. 

“You’re _adorable_ , so tiny! I’ll take you to my house and then we can get you some food, then a bath, then-“

Jihoon let out the ugliest yowl that he could manage, he was _not_ going to let some random man dump him in a big pot of water and rub soap all over him.

The man seemed to notice Jihoon’s displeasure at the rain now soaking his fur, quickly slipping Jihoon under his sweatshirt and popping his head back out of the head hole. This gave the human free access to Jihoon’s head, and he took his opportunity quickly, pressing kisses to each of Jihoon’s little kitty ears. Jihoon hissed warningly, but this human clearly wasn’t very smart, and did not pick up what Jihoon was putting down. All Jihoon could do was burrow into the human’s sweatshirt and he did so, making sure to dig his claws into the man’s shoulder harder than he needed to to keep himself up there. 

“Okay kitty, you have to behave when we’re in the store. I’m gonna get you toys, and food, and a bed, and bowls, and maybe a crate, but just in case I fly, so that I can take you with me! And hopefully some cute little outfits for you!”

Jihoon felt like he was being marched to hell in that hoodie, but he couldn’t do anything anymore. If he tried running, the employees would corner him. He had no way out.

He let the human fill the cart up with toys, fish, a big fluffy bed, and, unfortunately, several sweaters and costumes. The human froze in his tracks before they got to the cash register though, turning around and marching back to the bed section. 

“You don’t need a bed like that. You can just sleep in mine! We can cuddle!” 

_Oh no._

Jihoon was _not_ amused. They finally got to the cash register, and Jihoon hissed slightly as the human excitedly asked for a collar and for it to be engraved. 

“Sure, and what do you want it to say?”

“Hmm, I haven’t really named him yet, can I get my name and address on one side for now and then come back later when I have a name picked out?”

“Sure, that would be fine. So what am I putting on it so far?”

“Oh, um, ‘If lost, please return to Kwon Soonyoung, apartment seventeen, on thirteenth street.”

The man behind the counter typed that into their machine, pulling out the little silver tag when it came out. He turned, giving it to Soonyoung and finally getting a good look at the cat in his shirt.

“Oh, that’s Jihoon! He’s a neighborhood cat, he hangs out on the streets here. We’ve all tried making peace with him, he just doesn’t let us. You must be special.”

Jihoon yowled, claws scraping once more at Soonyoung’s exposed shoulder as he giggled. 

“Well if that’s his name, I won’t change it. Can you put that on the tag too?”

“Sure. May I ask, are you going to make him wear it 24/7? Most owners don’t collar their cats unless they’re going out somewhere with them, I’m just curious.”

“No, just when we’re going somewhere. I just don’t want him to get lost.”

Jihoon would have to figure out a way to get the collar off himself, then he could escape. 

“Sounds good, here you go, and thank you for shopping with us!” The man behind the counter smiled at Soonyoung, handing him his receipt and the collar. Soonyoung kept the collar in his hands, and Jihoon knew that the human was going to try and put it on him. 

Good luck, Jihoon thought, getting ready to put up a fight. The human stopped by the front door, scooping Jihoon up and out of his hoodie. The chaos began. Jihoon swatted the man’s hand away when it tried to come closer to him with the collar, teeth once again sinking into the human’s other hand. The human gasped softly, quickly readjusting his grip on Jihoon so that he wouldn’t completely fall from his arms. 

This continued for a while, before the cashier from earlier offered to help. Soonyoung thanked him, holding Jihoon tightly in his hands so that the kitten couldn’t squirm. The cashier hooked the collar easily around Jihoon’s neck, barely even phased when Jihoon bit him too.

“Thank you! What’s your name?” Soonyoung tucked Jihoon back into his hoodie neckline, letting Jihoon bite on his finger, like Jihoon was doing it to teethe or play. Jihoon wanted to scream, _I'm attacking you!_ , but he couldn’t, so he settled for just biting a _little_ too hard to be playful.

“Mingyu. And you said your name was Soonyoung, right?”

“Yeah! It was nice to meet you Mingyu. Thank you for all your help!”

“Of course! Have fun with Jihoon, I hope he doesn’t give you too much trouble.” Mingyu gave Jihoon a pointed stare, but Jihoon merely bared his fangs as a response. 

“Thank you!”

Soonyoung exited the store, plethora of bags in hand. The kitty just gave up, hissing warningly as Soonyoung peppered more kisses along his tiny head. Soonyoung only had to walk for a few minutes to get home, kicking open the door and setting the bags down. He heard the telltale thumping of feet against the floor as his roommate came racing out of his room, dog ears on the man’s head held high in excitement.

“You’re back! You were getting late, I was worried.”

“Sorry Minghao. I have a good reason that I was late though! Look!” Soonyoung gestured wildly to the kitten in his jacket, gently scooping him up and out of the soft fabric and cradling him in his hands. Jihoon’s eyes went wide at the sight of the other hybrid, he knew that the man could smell that he was a hybrid, but he couldn’t blow his cover now. 

“Soonyoung, that’s a h- _aargh_ ” The dog hybrid groaned as Jihoon lunged at him, little teeth sinking into his ankle before he could finish his sentence. Minghao wrestled the cat off of him, gripping him by the scruff of his neck and holding him at eye level. They had a silent conversation, Jihoon hissing and glaring at the dog hybrid to let him know that he was not to tell Soonyoung about his identity.

Minghao sighed, “I was gonna say that’s a cute cat. Have fun with him.” He dumped the squirming cat back into Soonyoung’s arms, plopping on the couch and rubbing his sore ankle. Soonyoung looked down at Jihoon with wide eyes, marveling at how the kitten had practically flown across the room and attacked Minghao. It must have been a cat and dog thing. 

“Where are the others? Are they already asleep?” Soonyoung thought of his other two roommates, Junhui and Chan, Junhui being a snake hybrid and Chan a ferret hybrid. 

“Jun’s by the heater in our room. Chan ate a big dinner earlier so he got sleepy, I think he’s already asleep in his room.”

“Did he use all the eggs again? I keep telling him that he doesn’t need to scramble all twelve for one dinner.”

Soonyoung huffed when Minghao nodded, fingers absentmindedly weaving through Jihoon’s fur. 

“Well I’m gonna give him a bath, then-Oh!” Soonyoung scrambled to catch Jihoon who had bolted at the sound of the word bath, hissing and yowling when Minghao grabbed him once again by the scruff of his neck and handed him to Soonyoung. 

Soonyoung gripped Jihoon tightly this time, cradling him to his chest and kissing the space between his ears. Jihoon tried biting Soonyoung’s chin as he retracted, but Soonyoung was too fast and merely cooed at Jihoon’s antics.

“I’m gonna go get into bed, it’s late. Good luck with that cat, and don’t worry, I can watch him for you when you go to work tomorrow.”

“Thanks Minghao!” Soonyoung grinned at the dog hybrid who merely smirked at the kitten in his arms, bounding up the stairs and into a room, shutting the door behind him. There were three bedrooms in the house, one being shared by Minghao and Junhui, then one each for Soonyoung and Chan. Well, now one for Soonyoung and Jihoon, and one for Chan.

Soonyoung crossed the living room, cooing at Jihoon, practically crooning to him as he flicked on the bathroom light, revealing a _bathtub_.

Jihoon needed to get out, _now_.

Jihoon yowled as loud as he could, twisting and turning in Soonyoung’s arms, but the human only tightened his hold around Jihoon, coddling him instead.

“Ooh~, don’t be scared kitty. It won’t hurt you, it’s just water. It’ll feel nice, I promise!”

Soonyoung began running a finger over Jihoon’s head, tracing the line from the tip of his nose to the spot between his ears. Jihoon, strangely incapacitated by this odd form of endearment, almost let a purr slip out, barely fighting it back down.

Soonyoung grinned adoringly as the kitty practically melted into his arms, having learned a long time ago that petting dogs or cats like that made them putty in your hands. Minghao came into his room every morning to get pets, it was irresistible. 

Soonyoung, still petting Jihoon with one hand, used the other to turn on the bathtub tap, a sound which scared Jihoon out of his trance and made him jump slightly in Soonyoung’s hand.

“Oh! Sorry kitty, I didn’t mean to scare you. Come here,” Soonyoung re-cradled Jihoon, tucking the kitty into his chest and beginning to pet him again. Jihoon realized too late that he’d begun purring, trying and failing to stop the noises emanating from his throat. Soonyoung squealed softly, kissing Jihoon’s tiny little nose before resuming his petting. If Jihoon was a human at the time, his cheeks would have been on fire.

Soonyoung shut off the tap when the tub was full, kissing Jihoon’s nose one more time before slowly lowering him into the bathtub. Jihoon, eyes opening when Soonyoung had stopped petting him, meowed in protest, claws protruding slightly to grip at Soonyoung’s hands.

“It’s okay! It’s okay Jihoon, it’s just water. It won’t hurt you.” Soonyoung sat by the edge of the bathtub, scooping some water up into his hand and holding it out for Jihoon to inspect. 

Jihoon backed as far away from the water as he could, consequently burrowing himself back into Soonyoung’s chest. Soonyoung chuckled, letting the water fall back into the bathtub and drying it off before taking Jihoon in that hand.

“Hold on Kitty, you stay right here, okay? I’m gonna go get changed, then I’ll get in with you.”

Soonyoung set Jihoon on the cold tile floor, slipping out of the door and shutting it behind him, closing Jihoon in. Jihoon waited until he heard the human’s footsteps going up the stairs, quickly transforming and breathing heavily when finally in his human form. He unclipped the collar from around his neck, chucking it under the sink and rubbing where it had touched his neck.

Jihoon heard steps coming back down the stairs so he transformed again, so that when Minghao threw open the bathroom door, he found the little kitty staring up at him, and not Human Jihoon.

“Listen _you_ , I know you’re a hybrid. Soonyoung’s looking for his shorts right now, so he won’t be down for a few minutes. Transform again, I want to talk to you.”

Jihoon hissed at the dog hybrid, though transforming none the less. Minghao took one look at Jihoon’s starving, malnourished frame, sighing and shutting the door behind him.

“Why haven’t you told Soonyoung that you’re a hybrid.”

“Because,” Jihoon’s voice was raspy and almost a growl, “he’d treat me like all humans treat hybrids. I’m better off as a cat. It’s not like I’m staying here anyways.” Jihoon snorted, hostile gaze hooked on the dog hybrid.

“First of all, you are staying here. Soonyoung already loves you, good luck escaping.” To punctuate this remark, Minghao reached under the counter, snagging the collar and hooking it back around Jihoon’s neck, snarling in warning when Jihoon tried fighting him off.

“Second, Soonyoung treats hybrid _amazingly_ , you just don’t know that yet. There’s three hybrids living in this house, and he’s never treated us as any less than him. Usually, he treats us better than he treats himself. If he loves you, he loves you.”

Minghao let that sit with Jihoon for a moment, sighting when his ears picked up on Soonyoung finally changing, stumbling around slightly.

“Listen, you don’t have to tell him, but don’t treat him like shit, and don’t run away. Both will break his heart. He’s being nice to you, return the favor.”

Jihoon heard Soonyoung coming down the stairs and transformed, watching as Minghao slipped out and pretended like he was doing something in the kitchen. Soonyoung made his way back into the bathroom, clothed in shorts and a shirt that he was okay with getting wet in.

Soonyoung scooped Jihoon up, stepping tentatively into the bathtub and lowering himself into a seated position. He kept Jihoon just barely above the water, petting him for a few seconds before lowering him in. Jihoon meowed softly, not liking the way that the water felt all around him. Soonyoung grabbed animal-friendly shampoo, starting at Jihoon’s back and lathering the soap into his fur. Jihoon felt a purr escape once again at the feeling of Soonyoung petting him, arching his back slightly to lean into the pets that he was receiving. Soonyoung giggled, cupping his hand under the water and gently trickling it over Jihoon’s head, avoiding his ears carefully. Jihoon yowled, paws coming up to swat at the water on his head. 

Soonyoung merely moved his hands to Jihoon’s head, lathering soap in there and paying special attention to underneath Jihoon’s chin. 

Once Jihoon was positively buried in bubbles Soonyoung grabbed a cup they sat on the sideboard, dumping water on Jihoon’s back and covering the kitty’s ears before doing the same again. 

When Jihoon was completely clean, bubbles no longer present in his shiny black fur, Soonyoung grabbed a towel, swaddling Jihoon like a little baby and tucking the loose ends of the towel in so that there was no escape. Soonyoung then set Jihoon on the counter, a little burrito as he himself stood and toweled off as best he could. Jihoon meowed imploringly at Soonyoung, purring freely when Soonyoung began rubbing him dry with the towel. 

Jihoon’s purrs made Soonyoung practically glow with pride, the angry kitten having finally warmed up to him. Once the both of them were dry enough, Soonyoung drained the bathtub, jogging up the stairs with Jihoon tucked securely in his arms. 

Jihoon picked up on the scents of the dog hybrid from before, and a snake hybrid behind one of the doors, smelling a different hybrid from behind the other one. How was he going to survive a snake?

Soonyoung set Jihoon down on the bed, quickly slipping out of his wet clothes, a sight which Jihoon closed his eyes at so that he did not have to see. He nearly fell asleep, eyes shut and swaddled in the towel like a baby, but a soft hand on his ears made his eyes flutter open and he looked sleepily up at Soonyoung.

Soonyoung cooed at the sleepy kitty, unraveling him gently from the towel and replacing it quickly with a blanket when Jihoon cried out in protest. Soonyoung grabbed Jihoon again, cradling the little lump of kitty in his arms as he jogged down the stairs.

Jihoon watched from inside the blanket as Soonyoung took him into the kitchen, flicking on the light and rustling through the bag from earlier. He pulled out a cut of fish, precooked but still in need of heating up, plating it and throwing it in the oven for a few minutes. 

While they waited for the cooking timer to go off Soonyoung began petting Jihoon again, cooing and kissing the side of his face when the kitty started purring. Jihoon wrestled his paw out of the blankets, setting it lightly on Soonyoung’s hand that held him in place. Soonyoung squealed, grabbing Jihoon’s tiny paw and stroking the soft fur on the top of it. 

The oven timer went off and Soonyoung set Jihoon on the counter, reaching in with an oven mitt and grabbing the pan of fish. Jihoon meowed eagerly as Soonyoung put the fish in one of the bowls that he’d gotten at the store, ears alert as he dug into the dinner as soon as it was set on the counter. He ate as fast as he could, having learned that any meal could be your last for weeks, nearly choking on the fish as he went.

Soonyoung gasped at the speed at which Jihoon gulped down the fish, reaching out to grab him by the tummy and pull him back from the bowl. 

Jihoon hissed, claws protruding to swipe warningly at Soonyoung’s hand but the man only tightened his grip on the kitty, reaching into the bowl and pulling out a small chunk of the fish.

“You have to eat slow! I don’t want you to choke. Here, I’ll feed you.”

Soonyoung held the fish out to Jihoon and the cat quickly snapped it out of Soonyoung’s hand, straining against the human’s grip to try and get back to the bowl. His efforts were fruitless, he was stuck. 

Soonyoung hand-fed Jihoon the rest of the fish, scratching underneath his chin in between bites and laughing at how the cat bent to arch into his fingers. When the entire bowl was empty Soonyoung stood, keeping Jihoon securely in his arms as he dumped the bowl in the sink and started back upstairs.

He set Jihoon on his bed, letting the kitty explore the space for a few moments before he himself slid in, burying himself under the covers. He flicked off the light, fingers sneaking their way under Jihoon’s chin again in the dim light of the room. Jihoon purred, the sound now loud in the silent room and without thinking any further about the situation that he was trapped in, Jihoon padded over to where Soonyoung’s head laid on his pillow, curling up and resting his own head on Soonyoung’s cheek. He heard a coo from the human, felt a kiss be pressed to the underside of his chin, before sleep overcame him, and he drifted off.

—

Jihoon woke up and couldn’t move.

He was completely restrained from moving, and he panicked slightly, straining against whatever was holding him in place and biting the closest thing he could reach. He heard a squawk, felt a hand come up and push his face away, then the pressure around him was released and he was free to move.

Jihoon stood quickly, whipping around to stare at whoever it was that was holding him down, but realized that he was in a bed and not in a trash can, and that it was only the silly human from last night.

Soonyoung held his nose, wincing at the tender spots where Jihoon’s little fangs had dug into his flesh. He wasn’t bleeding, that was good.

Jihoon pawed gently at Soonyoung’s hands, batting them away from his nose and rubbing his cheeks against Soonyoung’s face in an apology. Soonyoung let out a raspy giggle, kissing Jihoon’s nose and scratching behind his ears.

Jihoon rolled over, back against Soonyoung’s chest and paws in the air as he swung playfully at Soonyoung’s hand still hovering above him. Soonyoung played along, poking at Jihoon’s exposed tummy and chuckling when Jihoon managed to catch his hand, wrapping his legs around it and chewing gently on the tip of Soonyoung’s finger. 

The door creaked open slightly and the pair of them turned their heads to the side, rather synchronized to see Minghao, shy smile on his face and baggy pajamas blanketing his frame.

Soonyoung needed no hint from the dog hybrid as to why he was there, scooting all the way to the side of the bed and patting the empty space in an invitation. Minghao quickly slid under the covers, nuzzling his head into Soonyoung’s shoulder and humming when Soonyoung began petting him. 

Jihoon was still wrapped completely around Sooynoung’s pointer finger, (quite ironic as the kitten had Soonyoung wrapped around _his_ finger), while the other hand went to gently brush over Minghao’s ears and down over his forehead and to the tip of his nose. 

The door had been left half open when Minghao had come in, and Jihoon didn’t realize the problem with this until an entire _snake_ was already slithering onto the bed and curiously gliding towards him. Jihoon yowled, dropping Soonyoung’s hand and hissing at the snake. Minghao snickered, grabbing the snake and pulling it into his chest. The snake let Minghao scoop him up, curling leisurely against Minghao’s chest, forgetting all about Jihoon.

“It’s okay Jihoon~,” Soonyoung cooed, reaching back to wrap a hand under Jihoon’s tummy and lift him back up onto his chest, even closer now to the snake, “That’s Junhui, he's another one of my roommates. He won’t hurt you.”

Jihoon kept a wary eye on the snake, you could never be too careful.

The four of them spent nearly five minutes like that, Jihoon in paranoia and anxiety while Soonyoung pet the dog hybrid holding the snake like nothing was wrong. That is, five minutes until yet another creature wormed its way onto the bed.

It looked like a noodle.

Jihoon scampered backwards, using Soonyoung’s head as a shield from the strange floppy noodle. The noodle let out a squeak, scuttling over to stand on Soonyoung’s face, peering over at a cowering Jihoon while Soonyoung only laughed and batted gently at the paws on his face.

“Chan, don’t scare him, he’s skittish. Let him have his own space for now.”

The noodle resentfully climbed back down off of Soonyoung’s face, curling up into a ball on the man’s chest instead. A noodle ball.

Jihoon raised his head to be able to just barely peer over Soonyoung’s bed head, glaring at the audacious noodle as a warning.

The noodle seemed to grin back.

Jihoon was too busy giving the noodle the death stare to notice that the snake was slowly creeping over Soonyoung’s shoulder, and it was too late to run away when he finally noticed, turning and bumping noses with the snake.

Jihoon’s eyes went wide as he froze in his place, incapable of movement until the snake’s tongue flicked out and brushed over Jihoon’s nose. The snake recoiled, backing away from Jihoon and curling around the bedpost, slithering down it to get to the floor. He transformed once he was safely on the ground, eyes wide and finger pointing at Jihoon.

“He’s a-“

“rEALLY CUTE CAT! He’s a really cute cat, right Junhui?” Minghao shot upright in the bed, hand coming up to slam over Junhui’s mouth before the word _hybrid_ could come out. Soonyoung raised an eyebrow, but flicked his eyes back when Jihoon planted his tiny front paws on his forehead and rubbed his furry forehead against the human’s own as a distraction. Soonyoung cooed, fingers scratching behind Jihoon’s ears and the other hand keeping the noodle on his chest at bay.

The noodle had seemingly finally had enough of being held back, transforming directly on top of Soonyoung’s chest and slightly crushing the man.

“Soonyoung~, lemme hold him.” The noodle-turned-human whined, making grabby hands at Jihoon who got ready to bat them away if needed. 

“He‘s too scared right now. He honestly just doesn’t seem to like hybrids, I dunno why.”

“But, he _is_ -“ 

“ _Soooo_ scared of you Chan, why don’t you and Junhui and I go downstairs and start breakfast. We can give Jihoon time to wake up and _maybe_ , time to improve his attitude.” The last part of the sentence was stressed and aimed directly at Jihoon, as Minghao grabbed Junhui’s hand and then ‘Chan’’s, dragging them out of the room and down the stairs. 

“Jihoonie, what do you think is wrong with them today? Hm?” Soonyoung babbled, scooping Jihoon up and setting the cat back on his chest. Jihoon purred, digging his head under Soonyoung’s chin and rubbing his ears along the human’s neck.

He heard a squeal from Soonyoung, “That tickles!” But Jihoon didn’t relent, finally settling with his whole head tucked into Soonyoung’s neck. Soonyoung grinned, cradling the little kitty to his chest. He had never really had a pet of his own. He had always wanted one. Especially since living with three hybrids, he’d begun craving animal affection and attention of his own, that didn’t come from one of his best friends. Minghao had Junhui, and Chan had all three of them wrapped around his finger, but Soonyoung never had anyone of his own to hug and cuddle. Jihoon was his now. 

—

Minghao finally stopped in the kitchen, having ignored the whines of protest and the relentless questions from the snake and ferret hybrid while dragging them down the stairs.

“Minghao! What is wrong with you?” Jun was nearly shouting and Minghao shushed him, desperately trying to get them both to shut up.

“Soonyoung can’t know Jihoon is a hybrid.”

“Why not?”

“Because Jihoon is scared that Soonyoung will mistreat him.”

Junhui scoffed, making for the stairs again, presumably to go and spill the cat’s secret.

“That’s ridiculous! Soonyoung would _never_.”

“I know guys, but Jihoon doesn’t. Listen, you didn’t see him last night. He was muddy, and his fur was tangled, and he looks like he hasn’t eaten in weeks. He’s clearly either been mistreated, or not even been touched by anyone at all, and has only heard horror stories of abused hybrids. I made him transform last night while Soonyoung was upstairs, and I told him that he’s perfectly safe here, but he’s _scared_. I made him promise that, if he wasn’t going to tell Soonyoung, to at least be nice to him, and I think he took my advice. Now, when Soonyoung goes to work today, we’re the ones that are gonna be watching him, and we can talk to him and get to know him then. But you have to swear not to tell Soonyoung, got it? It’s just gonna scare Jihoon into leaving, and that would crush Soonyoung.”

Minghao was finally able to take his hands away from the other two hybrids mouths without them screaming, slowly letting Junhui go as he was still being restrained in his grip.

“I just.. Soonyoung would treat him perfectly.” Chan’s brows were furrowed as he thought about all the times that Soonyoung had personally sacrificed something for him or their roommates. The human really was one of a kind. 

“I know, and eventually, once Jihoon sees how Soonyoung interacts with us more, i think he’ll see that, and he won’t be so scared. But we have to give him time. I’d be scared too if I were him.”

“Fine. But if that cat bites me I’m gonna lose it.” Junhui mumbled, remembering how sharp Jihoon’s fangs and claws had been.

“He bit me last night. He’s pretty strong.”

Minghao raised the hem of his pant leg to reveal two angry red marks, ones that sent Junhui raging, starting for the stairs again.

“How _dare_ he?!”

“No no no, Jun, stop, come back!” Minghao grabbed Junhui’s arm, yanking the snake hybrid back to stand in the kitchen.

“I deserved it. He was terrified, I was just about to tell Soonyoung that he was a hybrid. ‘S my fault, I’m not mad.”

Jun huffed, letting Minghao tug him back into the kitchen. The three hybrids began preparing breakfast, as promised, lightly chiding Chan for using all the eggs the previous night.

“But I was hungry!” Chan pouted, sulking and sitting on the counter, where he knew he was not supposed to be. Soonyoung came jogging down the stairs with Jihoon in his arms, seeing Chan sitting securely on the counter and sighing, though a small smile was playing on his lips.

“Chan~, you know you’re not supposed to be there.” Soonyoung set Jihoon on the floor, reaching for Chan and scooping the ferret hybrid off of the counter, kissing the side of his head and setting him back on the floor. Jihoon, in an effort to distance himself from Junhui and Chan, sat on Soonyoung’s foot, though Chan didn’t quite pick up on the fear that JIhoon was feeling and plopped down onto the floor, reaching a tentative hand out and setting it on the floor in front of Jihoon.

Jihoon stared up at the noodle hybrid, eyeing the small, round, turry ears on the man’s head. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what kind of animal the man’s counterpart was. Chan saw the cat’s gaze on his ears, giggling softly and dipping his head down further.

“I’m a ferret hybrid.”

Soonyoung looked down, seeing Chan talking to Jihoon as if the cat could understand him. The human smiled, ruffling Chan’s hair and gently sliding Jihoon off of his foot, padding over to the stove to help Junhui with the bacon.

Chan’s grin widened even more when Soonyoung left, finally getting an unobscured chance to interact with Jihoon. The cat couldn’t hide now. Chan’s hands shot out to wrap around Jihoon’s tiny, malnourished body, but the cat yowled, scampering out of the kitchen and diving under the couch. He huddled up in the middle of the sofa, hissing at the hands that reached for him through the darkness. 

Chan looked under the sofa, peering through the darkness to see two little eyes staring, more like glaring back at him. He transformed quickly, worming his way under the couch and edging Jihoon back out into the open living room. The cat took the bait, running from the ferret and backing into a corner of the room. Chan transformed back, quickly scooping Jihoon up and holding him tightly when the cat tried wriggling out of his hold. 

Jihoon meowed out in protest, straining as hard as he could against Chan’s hold but it was pointless, he was just going to have to be held captive by an overexcited noodle. Chan wandered back into the kitchen, holding Jihoon up as if he were a trophy when Soonyoung raised an eyebrow questioningly at the ferret hybrid.

“Were you chasing him?”

“No. He was running from me. I was trying to love him.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes, leaning down to kiss the space between Jihoon’s ears, though leaving him cradled in Chan’s arms. Jihoon meowed at the human as he did so, trying to communicate that he wanted _down now_ , but it wasn’t working very well.

Chan kept a firm hold on Jihoon, bouncing excitedly around the kitchen as the other three helped make breakfast. Jihoon only bit him a few times. And not that hard.

Soonyoung reheated some of Jihoon’s fish from the previous night, not having the heart to feed the tiny kitten canned cat food. If he wouldn’t eat it, neither would Jihoon. Plus, he needed to fatten Jihoon up. The kitty was all skin and bones. Fur and bones.

Soonyoung set the bowl of fish on the floor, making his way over to the table with a completed breakfast for the four roommates. 

The four of them dug in, leaving Jihoon to sit and eat his sad bowl of reheated fish alone in the kitchen. He did so, of course, but it was depressing. Soonyoung ate rather quickly, finishing and padding back over to Jihoon with a sweet smile on his face.

“Okay Jihoon, I have to go to work now. Minghao, Jun, and Chan are gonna watch you today. Have fun baby~.”

Soonyoung scooped Jihoon up for a moment, kissing his nose and setting him back down in front of his bowl. Jihoon yowled however, scampering over to sit on Soonyoung’s foot, preventing him from leaving.

Soonyoung cooed, picking Jihoon up and hugging him tight.

“You can’t come with me silly, you have to stay here! Minghao, will you take him? He seems to like you the most.”

Minghao nodded, mouth full of pancakes as he stood, coming to take Jihoon from Soonyoung. The cat meowed desperately at Soonyoung, using his little claws to climb up the man’s chest and around to be perched on his shoulder. Soonyoung laughed, trying to get Jihoon’s claws unstuck from his work shirt while Minghao grabbed the kitten, holding him firmly while Soonyoung worked on his paws. Jihoon meowed all the white, twisting and turning in the dog hybrid’s grip to try and escape. Finally Soonyoung got Jihoon’s claws unstick, successfully handing him over to Minghao.

Minghao gripped the tiny kitten tightly, hugging Soonyoung goodbye and promising to update him on the cat every hour per Soonyoung’s request.

Soonyoung gave Jihoon one more kiss on the head, though not picking up on Jihoon’s desperation when the kitty reached for him with both paws. The human kissed Junhui and Chan on the foreheads, grabbing his coat and heading out. Jihoon meowed as loud as he could but was silenced when Minghao cupped a finger around his muzzle. He bit Minghao’s finger. Minghao’s hand was removed.

Soonyoung shut the door behind him, and all hell broke loose.

Junhui shot out of his seat, surging forward and grabbing the kitten by the scruff of his neck. 

“Transform, _now_.”

Jun felt Jihoon shifting in his grip, merely dropping the kitten-turning-human and letting him hit the ground with a thud. Jihoon groaned, rubbing his knee where it had hit the ground and glaring up at Jun.

Chan grinned excitedly, rushing into the living room and tugging Jihoon to his feet. Jihoon shook off the ferret hybrid once the both of them were standing, backing into a corner of the room and glaring at the two new hybrids with hostility.

“Why aren’t you telling Soonyoung?” Junhui spat, glaring harshly at Jihoon who merely did the same back.

“Jun, I told you-“

“I want to hear it from him! I asked you a question Jihoon, why aren’t you telling Soonyoung?”

“ _Because_ ,” the malice in Jihoon’s voice was overwhelming, and Minghao stepped between the two angry hybrids, just in case, “Humans treat hybrids like dirt. I don’t want to be treated like dirt. I didn’t even want to come here man, I was just taken. I didn’t have a choice.”

“But you’ve seen how well Soonyoung treats hybrids! He held Minghao like a baby and pet him for almost twenty minutes this morning,” The dog hybrid’s cheeks reddened slightly at this, “And he didn’t say _anything_ when Chan basically crushed him. He’s not like other humans.”

“That’s what _every_ human says!”

“But I’m not a human! Soonyoung means a lot to me, and you’re not gonna act like a brat because you’re finally being treated like you matter. I saw this morning that you’re not exactly mean to Soonyoung, but Minghao says that you were last night, and that you were mean to him too. Everyone living in this house is a family, and whether you like it or not, you’re here now, which means that you’re part of it. Suck it up, and be nice to us. We’re just trying to help.” Jun finished with a huff, falling back onto the couch behind him and crossing his arms.

Jihoon stayed silent, mulling the snake hybrid’s words over. He didn’t exactly hate Soonyoung now. He did last night. He hated the way that Soonyoung had just taken him. And he hated bathing. And he hated wearing a collar.

But Jihoon could tell that Soonyoung was a good person. And it scared him. Because he’d never met a good human before. And it seemed to good to be true, so he didn’t want to put himself in danger. He was already broken enough, he didn’t need to shatter.

“Jihoon?” The dog hybrid’s voice broke Jihoon out of his trance and he jumped slightly, looking at Minghao questioningly.

“Do you want breakfast? I’m sure you don’t want to eat out of a bowl on the ground, we can share some of what we made with you. We made lots, do you want to try some?”

Jihoon nodded slowly, letting Minghao grab his hand and tug him over to the table. Minghao sat beside him on one side and Chan scrambled for the seat on his other side, leaving Junhui to sit on Minghao’s other side. Minghao filled a plate for Jihoon, handing him a knife and fork and digging back into his own breakfast.

“What do you do while Soonyoung is at work?” Jihoon spoke after a while, shrinking slightly when Jun looked at him. 

“Nothing, really. We can watch tv, if you want, or we can play outside in the park. But that’s only if we have our papers with us. We’re not technically allowed to be living here as free people, so we’re registered under Soonyoung’s name. You could do it too, once you tell him.”

Jihoon nodded, ears perking slightly as he heard a car drive into the driveway. No one else seemed to notice the sound, so he let it go, dismissing it as a car turning into the neighboring driveway, or simply an imagined sound. However, the four hybrids had no time to react when the door flew open, and Soonyoung burst in.

“I forgot my apron- Holy crap!”

\--

Jihoon’s fork fell from his hands and clattered against the plate loudly, but the cat hybrid’s eyes were locked onto Soonyoung’s own as his chest began rising and falling more rapidly. Soonyoung knew. Soonyoung _knew_.

Soonyoung knew that Jihoon had been lying to him. It was only for a night, but still. The human had bought him food, toys, a collar. And now he knew that it was all a lie. Jihoon found himself frozen until Soonyoung opened his mouth to speak, pushing the chair back from the table clumsily and clamoring to his feet. Minghao moved to grab Jihoon’s arm but Jihoon flinched away, silently calculating the distance he needed to travel to get to the back door. He could make it.

Soonyoung stepped forwards, arm outstretched towards Jihoon but the cat took off while he had the chance, darting to the back door and ripping it open. He dashed out, throwing it closed behind him and scaling the back fence with ease. Cats were very agile, of course.

Jihoon could hear shouting from behind the door that he’d slammed shut, ignoring it and sprinting down the street. His legs were going as fast as they could, ears swiveling and picking up on as much sound as was possible as he whizzed by houses, blocks, neighborhoods. Jihoon saw a set of garbage cans that he could safely hide in, or climb on top of to get to the roof of the building, turning a corner and darting towards them.

He didn’t see the car coming.

His body was thrown to the side, bones crunching sickeningly and head slamming against the pavement. He felt warm liquid ooze over his face, knew it was blood from God knows where, but couldn’t help his eyes closing and the air leaving his lungs.


	2. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback on the first chapter, sweet comments really make my day! I hope that you like this chapter, the end of the story, and I hope that it's a good resolution to the cliffhanger I left you on! Thank you again for reading, I hope you enjoy! <3  
> (I also started a small series that I'll probably be updating either today or tomorrow so if you're reading that too thank you and I hope you enjoy! :) )

“Wait!” Soonyoung screamed after Jihoon as the cat nearly knocked right through the back door, hightailing it over the back fence and sprinting down the street. He let out a cry of disbelief, turning back to the three remaining hybrids with a confused expression.

“ _What?_ ”

“He.. He was a hybrid. He was scared to tell you. He swore he would, we were just giving him time. He was scared. I didn’t wanna push him. I told him that he could wait, I didn’t know you were coming back. It’s my fault.” A very guilty-looking Minghao whispered, eyes already brimming with tears and chest beginning to heave with sobs.

“It’s.. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have barged in. I didn’t know.” 

Junhui swore, one of the only times that any of his roommates had ever heard him do it, making to follow Jihoon when the cat bolted but Soonyoung grabbed his arm, tugging him backwards and back into the house. Soonyoung rushed over to the back door, just barely being able to see Jihoon, a very human Jihoon, racing down the street and out of the neighborhood. He still had his keys in his hand, dashing out to the car and starting it as fast as possible. Soonyoung tore out of the driveway, leaving Minghao, Junhui, and Chan to watch as he peeled down the street and raced after the terrified cat hybrid. Minghao saw Jihoon disappear around a corner, praying that Soonyoung would be able to find him okay. 

Soonyoung followed the frantic cat hybrid as best he could, car not being able to duck down the same alleyways and side streets that Jihoon was. He stayed far behind the cat hybrid, not wanting to scare him into running even further. He would wait until Jihoon stopped, then he’d get out and talk to Jihoon. He saw Jihoon duck down a sidestreet, going through a gap in between buildings and disappearing. 

Soonyoung cursed lowly under his breath, driving to the end of the street and jerking the wheel to the side, turning the corner down where Jihoon should have been put out by the route that he’d taken. He didn’t even see the person dart out in front of his car before it was too late, and they were already under his hood. Soonyoung screamed, hands shaking as he frantically pulled at the latch on the door. He managed to push the car door open, stumbling out and around to the front of his car.

The person’s head was turned into the car, face hidden beneath the front bumper so that Soonyoung couldn’t see his face. But Soonyoung’s eyes definitely caught the slight glimpse of what appeared to be a tail pinned under the man’s thigh, and his stomach dropped as he realized who it was.

\--

“Kwon Soonyoung?” The nurse had barely finished reading Soonyoung’s name out loud before the man had shot out of the uncomfortable plastic chair in the waiting room, rushing to his side.

“Is he okay?”

The nurse gave Soonyoung a kind smile, one that actually loosened the knot of anxiety in Soonyoung’s chest, even just a little bit. 

“He will be. He’s unconscious right now, we had to put him through a blood transfusion because he’d lost quite a lot, but we’ve set his ribs and gotten his leg in a cast. He should be waking up within a few hours.”

Soonyoung breathed a sigh of relief, one that was shared by Junhui, Minghao, and Chan. The nurse introduced himself, beginning to go over the details of Jihoon’s condition with Soonyoung.

“I’m Jeonghan. Jihoon was helped today by doctor Choi Seungcheol. He’s an expert in hybrid care and medicine, so he was able to stabilize Jihoon rather quickly. The wounds acquired from the accident are definitely not as bad as they could be, so we’re all grateful for that. He has a small gash on his side, we’re assuming that it’s where the car made contact, but the doctor stitched it up and it shouldn’t cause anymore problems. His head is bruised, we noticed that, but there doesn’t appear to be any brain damage, you should consider yourselves very lucky for that. We’ll keep him here overnight, just so that we make sure that nothing unexpected happens, and then you’re free to take him home. You’re also free to stay here overnight, we usually don’t permit visitors staying overnight but hybrid cases are often different and we find that the hybrids usually heal faster when the owner is present, because they’re more at ease. However, I do have one question for you, sir.”

Soonyoung’s head was reeling at all the information he’d just recieved, but he looked expectantly up at the kind nurse.

“Are you his owner?”

Soonyoung swallowed dryly, “sort of. I found him last night. He was in his cat form. I thought he was just a stray cat that needed a home, so I took him home with me. But this morning I found out that he was a hybrid, and he got scared and ran. I went out to look for him in my car, and, well…” Soonyoung’s eyes began to fill with tears and Junhui squeezed his hand. 

“Oh Soonyoung, I’m so sorry. We can arrange adoption forms for you, if you like to take him in officially?”

Soonyoung pulled himself together, using the sleeve of his work shirt to wipe a tear out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes please. Wait,” Soonyoung remembered how broken and terrified Jihoon had looked when Soonyoung had walked in, heart cracking as he remembered the hybrid’s quickened breathing, “actually, I want to let him decide. I don’t want to just take him. I want him to want me.”

Jeonghan gave Soonyoung a sweet smile, nodding and scribbling something down on Jihoon’s paperwork.

“Alright, if you’ll follow me, we can get you in to see him. Doctor Choi will be in within the next hour or so to check up. If you need me, press the button next to his bed. I’ll come in as soon as I can.”

Soonyoung nodded, head fuzzy as he was still dizzy with confusion. He was overwhelmed with the events of the day, not even having thought of the idea that Jihoon could have been a hybrid when he picked the dirty little kitten out of the garbage. 

“Thank you Jeonghan.” Chan filled in for Soonyoung while the human was temporarily shock-stricken, grabbing Soonyoung’s hand and tugging him to the room that Jeonghan had pointed to. 

Soonyoung gulped, twisting the doorhandle and cracking the door open slowly.

Tears came to his eyes.

He hadn’t seen much of Jihoon yet, but he’d seen how beautiful the boy had been. But now, the hybrid was sickly pale, laid out over the hospital bed with wires and IVs sticking out of him every which way. Soonyoung was pushed slightly forwards by Mighao, gripping a chair and letting himself fall into it as his eyes were still glued on Jihoon’s gaunt face, cheeks hollowed and white as an oxygen mask was strapped to his head. For a moment the only sounds in the room were the slow but steady beeps of the heart monitor beside Jihoon’s bed, but then the silence was interrupted.

“Soonyoung, it’s not your fault.”

Minghao reached over, grabbing Soonyoung’s hand in his own and squeezing it tight. Soonyoung’s lips parted, a sob escaping from between them and tears spilling down his chubby cheeks. Chan frowned, sliding into Soonyoung’s lap and wriggling his head underneath Soonyoung’s chin, letting it rest on his shoulder as he hugged Soonyoung.

Junhui carded his fingers through Soonyoung’s hair, leaving Minghao to sit and fidget in the chair beside the human while he continued to cry. Jun began murmuring to Soonyoung, comforting words working their magic and lessening the flow of tears cascading down Soonyoung’s face. Chan wiped Soonyoung’s tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie, kissing Soonyoung’s nose and leaving his nose nestled into Soonyoung’s for a moment before he pulled away.

Soonyoung wiped at his eyes, breathing deeply before smiling weakly at Chan. He thanked the ferret hybrid, kissing his forehead and resting his chin on Chan’s shoulder.

They sat in silence for another moment, but Junhui watched as Jihoon’s heart rate rose slightly, eyes fluttering groggily and fingers twitching. 

“Guys…” Jun called attention to the cat hybrid, the four of them waiting with bated breath for Jihoon to wake fully.

The cat hybrid opened his eyes, pupils dilating slightly as they adjusted to the light before he registered the sheer amount of _things_ touching him.

His arm came up to yank the oxygen mask off, consequently ripping the IV out and yowling in pain. Soonyoung jolted to his feet, grabbing Jihoon’s arm and tugging it back to his side.

“Jihoon! Jihoon, it’s okay. You’re okay, you’re in the hospital. Please stay still, you’re gonna hurt yourself more. It’s okay.” Jihoon’s wide, terrified eyes met Soonyoung’s, not recognizing him for a good ten seconds before they got even wider, and his movements became more frantic and he tried ripping Soonyoung’s arm off of him. Junhui reached over, slamming his hand on the call button, praying for Jeonghan to rush as fast as he could. 

Jihoon managed to claw Soonyoung’s hand off of his arm, sliding out of the bed and making for the window. Soonyoung tried hopping over the bed but Minghao was faster, grabbing the cat hybrid around the waist and holding his arms at his sides.

The door opened, Jeonghan’s face peeking in before his eyes widened and he rushed inside, taking in the discarded IV laying on the floor and the oxygen mask still lying on the bed where Jihoon had been lying. He rushed over to Minghao, grabbing Jihoon’s hands and forcing him back down into the bed. Jihoon hissed, trying to scratch Jeonghan’s hands but Jeonghan paid him no mind, sitting Jihoon firmly back into the bed and keeping his hands on the hybrid’s chest to keep him in place. Jihoon struggled against the nurse’s hold but it was fruitless, he was once again trapped and held down. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he raised his hands to cover his face, wiping them away and leaving his cheeks stained a deep red. Soonyoung reached over, attempting to grab Jihoon’s hand but the cat hybrid yanked it away, clasping his together and squeezing them tight, giving him something to hold onto.

Jeonghan waited until Jihoon’s breathing had slowed down, gently easing up on the pressure that he was placing upon Jihoon’s chest and sitting in a chair by the bed.

“Jihoon, do you know why you’re here?”

The cat hybrid nodded his head, sniffling and wiping once again at his tearstained cheeks. 

“What’s the last thing that you remember?”

“Car.” Jihoon’s voice came out cracked and shaky, and the single word tore through Soonyoung’s heart like a bullet. Minghao squeezed Soonyoung’s hand, seeing that the human was close to breaking himself.

“Okay. Can you tell me who these people are?” Jeonghan gestured to the four sitting around Jihoon’s bed and the cat hybrid shuddered slightly.

“Minghao, Junhui, Chan, and Soonyoung.” Jihoon refused to meet any of their eyes, instead staring down at his hands as he fiddled with them. 

Jeonghan looked over to the four visitors, nodding when they did and feeling relieved that Jihoon remembered their names.

“Do you remember how you met them?”

“Yes.” Jihoon didn’t seem like he was going to elaborate at all, bottom lip curling into his mouth as his pointed canines dug into the soft flesh. 

“Can.. can you tell me?”

“Soonyoung found me. And he took me to his house. And the others live with him.”

Once again Jeonghan verified with the people sitting around the bed before jotting something down on the hybrid’s papers again.

“Alright Jihoon, I’m pleased to say that I don’t think there’s any brain damage. The doctor will be be checking in on you soon, I’ve called him and told him that you’re ready, so he’ll give you the final word. If you need me to come back at any time, please just press the button right there, okay?” Jeonghan pointed to the call button beside Jihoon’s bed and the hybrid nodded, knowing full well that he would not be using it. 

“Thank you Jeonghan.” Soonyoung spoke, scooting his chair slightly closer to Jihoon’s bed as the nurse ducked out of the room. The door shut behind Jeonghan and all of the attention was focused on Jihoon. 

There was complete silence in the room for a minute, before Chan hesitantly broke it.

“Do you feel okay Jihoon?”

Jihoon exhaled, a tear dripping down his cheek and landing on his hospital gown, darkening the fabric. 

“No.”

“What hurts-”

“I.. I don’t know. I just don’t feel good.”

“Jihoon, I have a question for you, and I’d like to speak with you alone.” Soonyoung made his voice as soothing as possible, ushering Chan out of his lap and waiting until the three hybrids were outside before turning back to the bed.

“Jihoon, I’m sorry.”

Jihoon still refused to look Soonyoung in the eye, whispering a soft, “why?”

Soonyoung spluttered slightly, “I mean, I’m sorry for hitting you. I didn’t mean to.”

“What do you mean?” Jihoon turned to look at Soonyoung, cat eyes meeting human ones for the first time that day. Soonyoung realized that Jihoon didn’t know. Really, he couldn’t have known. The cat hybrid hadn’t had time to look over before Soonyoung’s car had hit him. For all he knew, it was just some stranger speeding. But now he knew. And his eyes were wide, pure fear alight inside of his irises.

“You.. It was you? You hit me with your car?”

“I didn’t mean to! I was out looking for you, I was trying to help you! I just saw you turn, and so I turned, but then I hit you, I didn’t see you at all. I’m so so sorry, please don’t hate me!”

Jihoon stayed silent, head whirring with millions of different thoughts as he tried piecing them together. Soonyoung hadn’t meant to hit him. But he did. And now he was in the hospital. And now the hospital knew that he wasn’t registered to anyone. He was a stray. The local shelters were probably already on their way to take him. He was doing _fine_ on his own, why did this all have to happen to him?

“Can I ask you something?”

Jihoon snapped out of his daze, looking back at Soonyoung and humming in response.

“I know that after this it might seem like a bad idea but I swear this was an accident and I’m so sorry that it happened and I just-” He paused, taking a deep breath before restarting his sentence, “Can I adopt you?”

\--

“Are you serious?” Jihoon deadpanned, eyes blinking rapidly as he tried processing Soonyoung’s questions.

Soonyoung’s heart sunk, his mouth running dry as he began stuttering responses as fast as they came into his head.

“I mean I just wanted to help..I didn’t mean to hit you, I swear! I’m really sorry, I promise you’ll be safe at my apartment, this was a one time freak accident and-”

“Please just _stop_. It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize like this. I was fine on my own before, I’ll be fine on my own now. Just please leave me alone.” Jihoon’s voice was nothing above a whisper and Soonyoung’s eyes began filling with tears, a hand reaching out towards Jihoon’s. The cat hybrid pulled his own away, fully laying down in the bed and turning away from Soonyoung.

Soonyoung stood, chair scraping noisily against the floor and making Jihoon’s ears twitch. Soonyoung rushed out of the room, wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his work shirt and finding Jeonghan as quick as he could.

“Jeonghan?”

“Yes- oh! What’s wrong, is Jihoon hurt again?” Jeonghan’s eyes blew wide at the tears falling from Soonyoung’s eyes but Soonyoung only shook his head, fumbling for his wallet and handing Jeonghan three bills.

“He doesn’t want to come home with me, he just want-s me to leave him alone.” Soonyoung hiccupped, “Please give him these when he gets discharged, I don’t want him to be stranded again. I want to help but he won’t let me, please just give him this.” Soonyoung raised his arm again to wipe a tear off of his cheek and Jeonghan hummed, taking the money and tucking it under the clip on Jihoon’s clipboard. He held his arms out, letting Soonyoung slump forward and squeezing him tight.

Jeonghan hummed, pulling back from the hug when Soonyoung’s sniffles began to subside and handing him a tissue from a box perched on a side table of the tiny waiting room. Soonyoung used it to blot away the tears on his cheeks, thanking Jeonghan softly for his help.

“Of course. And Don’t worry about Jihoon. Do you..” Jeonghan hesitated for a moment but continued with a deep breath when Soonyoung looked up to meet his eyes, “Do you still want to adopt him? I know he doesn’t want you to, but do _you_ want to?”

Soonyoung’s eyes began tearing up again as he nodded, a quiet sniffle coming from the man, “Yes. I want to, and I wish I could convince him that I won’t hurt him. But he’s asked me to leave him be, and I want to respect him. That’s all I can do.”

Jeonghan nodded, smiling softly at Soonyoung and handing the man another tissue. 

“I understand. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future with Jihoon, but can I please take down your phone number and home address in case he dips into critical condition again? I’d like you to still be informed, just in case.”

“I already gave them my phone number, but they didn’t ask for my address, why do you guys need that?” Soonyoung’s eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion at Jeonghan, but the nurse’s coy smile diffused the tension.

“Well, not that I think you would, but sometimes, especially in hybrid cases, an abuser will leave their hybrid with us, having just beat them or tortured them, and then flee. Change their number, change their name, whatever they can do to not have to take charges for the abuse. Again, I don’t think you’d do that, and I know the accident was, well, just that, but it’s hospital policy to take down addresses and phone numbers of their patients contacts.”

Jeonghan was glad that no one else was around, because he was lying through his teeth.

“Oh. Okay.” Soonyoung gave Jeonghan his home address with a shaky voice, refusing to let himself look at Jihoon’s closed door. It would only make him more sad. They finalized Jihoon’s stay at the hospital, Soonyoung signing the papers and taking care of the medical bills, after all, he hit the poor hybrid with his car. 

Soonyoung sniffled as he walked back over to his roommates, readily accepting the hug that was offered to him by Junhui.

“It didn’t go well?”

“ _Chan_!” Minghao chided the ferret hybrid, smacking him lightly on the arm.

“What? I was just asking!” Chan rubbed the sore spot on his arm, glaring at Minghao when he saw the skin reddening slightly. Soonyoung let his head slump pitifully onto Jun’s shoulder, eyes watering again with tears that threatened to spill over and stain Jun’s shirt, but Soonyoung squeezed his eyes shut, sniffling once more and pulling back from the hug.

“He didn’t wanna come home with us. With me.”

Jun used his sleeve to wipe a stray tear from Soonyoung’s eye, “Let’s just go home. Take the day off of work, you can relax. We’ll stay with you so that you’re not alone.”

“Okay.” Soonyoung croaked, squeezing Minghao’s hand when the dog hybrid slid it into his own, letting his roommates lead him out of the hospital and away from the cat hybrid.

\--

“You ready to go home, babe?” Seungcheol clocked out, gathering his things and sidling up behind Jeonghan who was still standing at the side of the room, staring down at a clipboard in his hands.

“Not yet. I have one more thing to do. Don’t start the car, it might take a while. Can you wait for me?” Jeonghan finally looked up from the charts, a frown setting itself into his face and making Seungcheol worry.

“What is it? Where do you need to go?”

“Just wait here for me. Here,” Jeonghan dug a bill out of his wallet and stuffed it into Seungcheol’s hands, “Would you go grab us dinner at the place down the street? Take the car, and will you pick up an extra meal? Large, and whatever fish option that they have?”

“Fish? But Jeonghan, you don’t like fish-”

“Just trust me, please.” Jeonghan tucked the clipboard in his hands to his chest, looking imploringly at Seungcheol, and the doctor found himself unable to say no.

“Okay. I’ll be back soon. I’ll wait out in front, text me when you’re coming out.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Jeonghan pressed a kiss to Seungcheol’s cheek as the man left the room, quickly hurrying off to a room down the hall.

He knocked lightly on the door before turning the knob, having heard no protests from the patient within. Jeonghan stepped inside, closing the door as quietly as possible when he saw that Jihoon was dead asleep in the hospital bed, slight tearstains on his cheeks that were smushed against the pillow. Jeonghan flicked on the light, quickly dimming it and letting Jihoon stir awake at the slight disturbance.

The cat hybrid’s eyes blinked open wearily, though they shot wide open when he noticed another’s presence in the room. He bolted upright in bed, eyeing Jeonghan wearily and pressing himself as far against the headboard of the bed as possible, as far from Jeonghan as possible.

“Relax, Jihoon. I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t even touch you if you don’t want me to-”

“I don’t want you to.” Jihoon mumbled, cutting off the tail end of Jeonghan’s sentence.

Jeonghan sighed, “Okay, then I won’t. But I do need to talk to you. You’re set to be discharged in a week.” Another lie. If Jeonghan’s plan didn’t work, he’d be in hot water with his bosses.

“A week?! But I’m fine, seriously, I can go now. I want to go now, please let me go.”

“You haven’t let me finish,” Jeoghan reached over, grabbing the blankets and tucking them back around Jihoon where they’d come undone from the cat hybrid’s panicked near-flight from the room, “You’re set to be released in a week, unless you fall under someone’s care before then. If you have a caretaker, then you can go home right now. But you don’t, do you?” Jeonghan’s words were harsh and biting, but there was a method to the nurses’ madness.

“No.”

Jeonghan merely hummed in response, “Well, then a week it is. Oh! Before I forget, Soonyoung left you money. He said he didn’t want you to be all alone, stranded, when you were released. I’ll leave it here for you. Well then, goodnight.”

Jeonghan took the money from underneath the clip on the clipboard, setting it on the nightstand and not missing the way that Jihoon’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of it.

“He.. He left that for me?”

“Yeah. Pretty nice of him, hm?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, you were pretty rude to him. From what I saw. And judging by the way that he came out of this room, you didn’t treat him too kindly then either. He’s done nothing but show you compassion, why do you push him away?”

“He hit me with his car. That’s why.”

“Really? That’s why? That’s the only reason why?”

“Yes.” Jihoon grumbled, sliding down further into the bed and nearly disappearing into the sheets. 

“Well, okay then. Enjoy your week-long stay, but I know a place you could stay instead.”

“ _Don't_.”

\--

Jeonghan met Seungcheol in the front parking lot, taking the bag of food from him and thanking him.

“Come inside with me. My plan hasn’t quite worked out yet, he’s more stubborn than I thought. You can help me convince him.”

“Who?” Seungcheol cocked his head to the side slightly, putting the car in park and climbing out.

“The hybrid that you operated on earlier. I want to get him home with the man that brought him in. But he’s stubborn, and doesn’t want to. Will you help me?” Jeonghan looked up at Seungcheol, looking absolutely pathetic. 

Seungcheol sighed, “Okay. Lead the way.”

Jeonghan grinned, taking Seungcheol’s hand and tugging him towards the front double doors. Neither man saw the figure slide open the window on the first floor, slinking out and quietly shutting it behind him. Jihoon moved completely silently through the parking lot, hiding behind cars and trucks whenever possible. His arm ached from the IV and his lungs burned from the lack of breathing assistance, but he could make it, he always made it. 

\--

Soonyoung flopped down onto the couch, frown deep set on his face and heart heavy in his chest. Chan tentatively sat down beside him, grabbing a blanket and offering half of it to Soonyoung. Soonyoung sighed, taking the blanket and tugging Chan closer.

“Thanks Chan.”

The ferret hybrid nodded, wrapping his arms around Soonyoung and snuggling into the man’s chest. Soonyoung cooed, letting his head drop to rest on Chan’s forehead. Minghao and Jun sat down on the other end of the couch, letting Soonyoung and Chan have their moment. The other two hybrids pulled out their phones, Minghao turning on the tv and queueing a Disney movie for them all to watch together. 

The Lion King began playing, the volume so low that it almost couldn’t be heard playing throughout the somber living room. Soonyoung was looking at the tv, but he wasn’t watching, eyes glazed over with tears and regret. They got fifteen minutes into the movie before Soonyoung’s phone rang and the man jumped at the noise, tugging it out of his pocket and widening his eyes slightly when he registered the number.

“Hello?”

“Soonyoung? This is Jeonghan, Jihoon is missing!”

\--

Jihoon slunk through the streets, finding a good hiding spot between two dumpsters at the back of a restaurant. He curled up, trying to get warm as the cold night air threatened to invade his tiny little malnourished body. He closed his eyes, making sure that the money that Soonyoung had left him was securely pinned under his front paws. He’d grabbed it on his way out, and really didn’t want to lose it. He didn’t want to impose on Soonyoung, but he supposed that wasting the man’s money would be bad too. He’d might as well use it to buy himself food. But for now he was okay. He needed to save it for when he was really hungry. 

All was going well until a restaurant employee stepped outside, going to throw something away, spotted him.

“Hey! Get out of here, this is no place for pests!” The woman screeched, foot coming to kick at Jihoon’s side. The kitty yowled, barely having time to grab the money off the floor in between his jaws before he was off and running down the street, escaping from the horrid woman and her horrid restaurant.

He realized that he’d have to go a bit further, deciding to live once more in the alleyway that he’d lived in before this had all happened. He had barely stepped a paw on the concrete before a vicious growl was heard and a stray dog rose from the end of the alleyway, stalking towards Jihoon. Jihoon bolted sideways, internally cursing when the dog began chasing him. He was nearly cornered when he reached the end of the street but managed to leap on top of a mailbox, then onto a tree branch, then onto a roof, and he was safe. The dog barked at him for a few moments, then gave up and retreated back to his alleyway. 

Jihoon flopped down onto the roof with an internal sigh, the money safely stashed under his head as he laid there. He thought. He thought about Soonyoung, and Minghao, and Junhui, and Chan. He thought about how he felt the night before when Soonyoung had wrapped him up tight in his arms and pet him until he fell asleep. He thought about the way that Minghao had let Jihoon silence him from telling Soonyoung that he was a hybrid, and then in turn stopped Junhui and Chan from doing the same thing. He thought about how Junhui had called him part of the family and told him that he was being treated like he mattered. He thought about how persistent Chan had been in wanting to meet and hold Jihoon.

He thought about how he’d scratched, bitten and clawed at every single one of them. He thought about how he had answered each of their friendly advancements towards him with hostility and violence. He thought about the dog from the other alleyway, Minghao was nicer. He thought about how, after everything that he’d done to injure, reject, or maim Soonyoung, even after the human had found out that he’d been lying to him, Soonyoung still asked Jihoon if he’d like to be adopted. Even after all that, Soonyoung wanted him. 

In the past, Jihoon had been subject to terrible encounters with want. People _wanted_ to take him home so that they could have a slave. People _wanted_ to take him home so that they could show him off like a prize. People _wanted_ to take him home because owning a hybrid meant you were wealthy. Soonyoung wanted to take Jihoon home because Jihoon didn’t have one otherwise. Soonyoung wanted to take Jihoon home so that he could take care of him. In the past, Jihoon’s overly guarded nature had come in handy. He’d been able to ward off _most_ potential abusers. But this time, this time it ruined what might have been his one chance.

Jihoon’s eyes stung with tears but he couldn’t shed them, instead focusing on the neon lights of the sign of the store that was across the way from him. _Hah_ , Jihoon thought, that’s where Soonyoung took me.

His eyes were almost closed when he heard an engine rumble, and saw a car screech into the parking lot of the store. A figure stepped out, looking alarmingly familiar to Jihoon in what seemed to be a wrinkled work uniform and-

It was Soonyoung. 

The man scanned the empty parking lot with frantic anxiety, cupping his hands over his mouth, “Jihoon? Jihoon! Jihoon, please come out, where are you? Jihoon?” Soonyoung stumbled towards the alleyway, remembering the kitten’s old living quarters in the dumpster. Jihoon was up on his feet in record speed, almost meowing out a warning to the man but it was too late, and the human had already stepped into the alley.

The same hair-raising growl that had met Jihoon only moments earlier in the same alleyway tore through the silent night and Soonyoung jolted, jumping back when he saw the angry dog.

Soonyoung tried backing away slowly but the dog gave him no escape, lunging forwards and sinking it’s canines into Soonyoung’s leg. Soonyoung’s scream reverberated through the empty parking lot as he tried wriggling away from the dog, hands coming to try and pry it’s jaws off of his leg. Jihoon sprang forwards, hopping down onto the tree, then the mailbox, then the pavement and racing towards the pair on the ground. Soonyoung’s eyes were squeezed tight in pain and terror so he didn’t see Jihoon skid to a half right behind the dog, his own little cat fangs biting at the dog’s tail. A strangled whine came from the dog’s throat and Jihoon tugged _hard_ on his tail, finally tearing him off of the human on the street. The dog turned, growl reappearing and saliva dripping from his now bloodied fangs. 

Jihoon sprang forwards, biting the dog square on the nose. The dog’s head whipped around as he furiously tried shaking Jihoon off, the snapping of his fangs doing nothing to deter the cat as they couldn’t reach him. Jihoon extended his claws and swiped hard at the dog’s left eye, letting the other paw’s claws slowly puncture the dog’s muzzle. The dog whimpered pitifully, pain in the sound as he finally brought a paw up to swipe Jihoon off of him. The kitty landed hard on the ground but a pair of hands were grabbing him mere seconds later and Soonyoung’s scent enveloped him as he was brought back into a warm chest. Soonyoung’s eyes stayed fixed on the dog, watching to see what the next attack would be but there was none, the dog hanging it’s head and laying on the sidewalk beside the alley, eye and muzzle bleeding alike. 

Soonyoung, after being sure that the dog wouldn’t advance with any more aggression, held Jihoon up to his face, eyes scanning over each feature on the kitty’s face and body to be sure that he wasn’t hurt. Jihoon squirmed in the man’s hold, prompting Soonyoung to place him gently on the concrete. Jihoon quickly transformed, not even looking Soonyoung in the eye before he was down at the man’s leg, looking at the bloody mess.

“Jihoon, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to have to save me like that, thank you so much-”

“Soonyoung! It’s fine, you need a doctor. This could be infected. I can’t drive, I don’t know how to get you to a hospital.” Jihoon’s eyes filled with tears, he was frustrated that he couldn’t help the man, after all, Soonyoung had only offered Jihoon a whole new life, complete happiness. 

“I have Jeonghan’s phone number. He called me to tell me that you were missing.” At this, Soonyoung reached for his phone, shooting a quick text to Jeonghan with his location and situation. “Are you okay though? You never answered my question…” Soonyoung reached forwards, grabbing Jihoon’s hands from where they were hovering helplessly over Soonyoung’s wound and squeezing them tight in his own.

“I’m fine! You’re not though! Why are you still being so nice to me?” Jihoon’s voice tapered out to a whisper and Soonyoung tugged him forwards, guiding Jihoon to sit beside him on the pavement.

“Jihoon, I’m being nice to you because you deserve someone being nice to you. It’s not your fault that the dog bit me, am I supposed to be mad about that?’

“But it _is_! You were looking for me, I ran away from the hospital after I told you you couldn’t take me home after I ran away from your home after you took me in and took care of me. This is all my fault.”

“But those were all my choices! I chose to pick you up, I chose to take you home, I chose to go after you, I didn’t exactly choose to hit you with my car, but- Oh god, I hit you with my car, I’m so sorry!” Soonyoung’s brows creased and Jihoon shook his head, waving off the man’s apologies.

“It’s okay. I treated you _awfully_ , you were nothing but nice to me and I was nothing but rude to you.” Jihoon looked at the pavement and laughed, a disbelieving chuckle that was met with only silence in return until he began speaking again.

“And you risked literally _everything_ for me, and I wouldn’t let you in.” Jihoon’s voice broke halfway through, a tear sliding down his cheek as his eyes stayed glued to the pavement. Soonyoung felt his chest swell, in some mixture of compassion and pity and he reached up, hooking a finger under the cat hybrid’s chin and turning it to face him.

Jihoon finally looked into Soonyoung’s eyes and Soonyoung was shocked speechless by the sheer depth of them, soulful irises piercing through Soonyoung’s heart. Soonyoung, with some newfound confidence, surged forwards, closing his eyes and pressing his lips to Jihoon’s.

Jihoon didn’t really know what was going on but he wasn’t opposed to it. He let himself relax when he figured it out, even reaching a hand up to cut Soonyoung’s chubby cheek. The two hadn’t been kissing for more than five seconds before tires screeched and headlights shone, disrupting them both. They broke away, surprised, to see Jeonghan and Seungcheol standing awkwardly outside of the car. Jeonghan had a small smirk on his face and Seungcheol just looked uncomfortable. All four men stayed frozen until Seungcheol’s eyes landed on Soonyoung’s leg and he gasped, rushing forwards to crouch beside him and inspect it.

“What happened?”

“That happened.” Soonyoung lifted a finger to point at the dog, still lying dejectedly on the sidewalk, ears tucked tight to his head. Jeonghan dialed animal control, notifying them that there was a stray, possibly feral dog that had just attacked someone. Seungcheol tentatively poked at Soonyoung’s wound, taking note of where he’d expressed more displeasure than other places. Jihoon sat and watched. He didn’t know what else to do. 

Jeonghan got word that animal control was on their way and urged the other three to get back in the car. Jihoon stood, reaching to help Soonyoung stand, but then was struck with remembrance. 

He jumped up, transforming and scurrying off back towards the roof. Soonyoung gasped, yelling at Jihoon to wait and actually trying to hobble after him but Seungcheol caught him, keeping him in place as they all watched. Jihoon scaled the roof again, relieved to see the wad of bills still lying on the roof and grabbing it in between his teeth. He climbed back down again, trotting over to Soonyoung’s side and jumping up to rest in the man’s arms when he held them open. Jihoon pressed the bills into Soonyoung’s hand, watching as the older man stuffed them into his pocket. Jeonghan stood on one side of Soonyoung, with Seungcheol on the other for added support, as they helped the man stumble back to the car. Soonyoung slid into the backseat, letting Jeonghan tug his leg up to rest on the other seats beside him. Jihoon waited for Soonyoung to set him on the ground or shoo him off but nothing happened, instead the man only held him tighter, cradling the cat close to his chest and pressing a kiss to the space between his ears. 

Jihoon sat tight as Seungcheol drove them all to the hospital, letting his head rest on Soonyoung’s tummy. His eyes were locked onto the wound on Soonyoung’s leg, still fresh and oozing with blood and his stomach twisted in guilt, if only he’d been faster, if only he’d been nicer, if only. Soonyoung, Jihoon swore the man was psychic, scooped Jihoon up, cradling him close to his face and preventing Jihoon from looking at the bite. Jihoon looked at Soonyoung, seeing the man smiling adoringly down at him and purring softly when Soonyoung’s fingers began to gently run over his ears. Jihoon brought his tail up to curl loosely around Soonyoung’s wrist as the man pet him. 

Seungcheol pulled into the hospital only ten minutes later, rushing inside to get a stretcher for Soonyoung and having Jeonghan stay with him. The man in the front seat turned, biting back a squeal when he saw the two curled up together in the back. He was glad that Jihoon was finally accepting Soonyoung. They both deserved it. 

Seungcheol brought a stretcher out for Soonyoung and he and Jeonghan helped the man onto it. Jihoon was fully ready to hop down from the stretcher, letting Soonyoung have his own space especially since he was injured, but Soonyoung held him even tighter, letting Jihoon curl up on his chest as he laid back on the pillow. Jeonghan took Soonyoung and Jihoon inside while Seungcheol parked their car, and Jeonghan purposefully put Soonyoung in the room that Jihoon had just escaped from. The IV was still hooked up to the machine, hanging uselessly off the side of the bed and the oxygen mask was laying discarded by the side of the nightstand. Soonyoung’s stretched was wheeled right beside the hospital bed that Jihoon had been in only hours prior. Jihoon waited for someone to tell him what to do, still curled up quite contentedly on Soonyoung’s chest. Jeonghan gave Jihoon no warning as he scooped him up, eliciting a yowl from the angry cat as he was set onto the hospital bed. 

“Jihoon, would you please transform back? I want to hook you up again, I’m sure you’re not feeling too great. Soonyoung can stay here, you guys can share the room. I just want to be sure that you’re both receiving the care that you need.”

Jihoon shifted back to his human form and got settled on the bed, turning his head to the side when Jeonghan reinserted an IV. Soonyoung reached his hand out, cupping Jihoon’s cheek and prompting him to open his eyes. Jihoon did so, and was met with a sweet smile, Soonyoung’s chubby cheeks squished slightly as he did so. Jihoon couldn’t help but smile back, his cheeks flaring red and his heart speeding up slightly in his chest. He was sure that Jeonghan could read his heart rate somewhere, because the man looked down from the monitors to Jihoon with a smirk. 

Seungcheol let himself into the room, grabbing a few tools and preparing an anaesthesia shot for Soonyoung. He didn’t have to knock the man completely out, only gave him a dosage into his leg so that it would be numbed while he did the stitches that he was sure that Soonyoung was going to need. Jihoon couldn’t tear his eyes away from Soonyoung’s face, even though the oxygen mask on his face meant that he could barely see over the cloudy plastic. Soonyoung was looking anywhere but at his leg while Seungcheol stitched him up, first at the ceiling, then at the wall, but finally over at Jihoon and catching the cat hybrid’s eye. Jihoon blushed looking down at his hands but Soonyoung reached over, taking one of Jihoon’s hands in his own and squeezing it. Jihoon smiled from beneath the oxygen mask, letting his eyes slip shut and his brain quiet as he slid into a comfortable sleep.

\--

Jeonghan and Seungcheol shut the door to Soonyoung and Jihoon’s room at exactly 12:01 AM, leaving the two patients to sleep and recover from their hectic night. Jeonghan still had Soonyoung’s address so the two went to go tell Soonyoung’s roommates what had happened, finally going home and going to sleep for themselves. 

It was around 3:00 AM when Soonyoung’s leg began hurting again, the pain waking the man up and a soft hiss escaping his lips. The noise roused Jihoon, the cat hybrid rolling over in the bed until he was facing Soonyoung. He was still holding Soonyoung’s hand and it was currently pinned under his head, Soonyoung was stretched rather precariously from where he was laying, so he scooted over to lay closer to Jihoon. 

“Jihoon? Jihoon, are you awake?”

The cat hybrid let out a soft hum and Soonyoung watched as Jihoon’s ears twitched slightly.

“Now I am. Is your leg okay?” Jihoon only then realized that he had Soonyoung’s hand pinned under his cheek, blushing and letting go of it.

“It’s starting to hurt a bit, but it’s fine. Hey, do you know how to take the bars down from here?” Soonyoung grabbed the metal bars separating the sides of the hospital bed and the stretcher that he’d been placed on. 

“No, why?”

A rather loud bang sounded throughout the room and Soonyoung snickered, lifting the now separated metal bars over his head and setting them on the other side of his bed. He used the extra space now to scoot closer to Jihoon, the human’s nose bumping into the hybrid’s gently as he did so. Jihoon blushed, though it was not visible in the low light of the hospital room. Soonyoung grabbed Jihoon’s hand again, raising their joined hands to lay between them.

“Jihoon?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

Jihoon’s stomach flipped, his brain went blank, and his mouth went dry. Love? Soonyoung had just met him. How could he love him?

“Well?”

“Hm?” Jihoon managed a simple stutter as a reply.

“Are you gonna say it back?”

Jihoon thought about all the trouble that Soonyoung had gone through to take him home, the trip to the pet store, the fights with his roommates, the dog attack, the car accident, and after all that, that Soonyoung still wanted to take him home and take care of him. After all of that, Soonyoung still wanted him.

“Soonyoung?”

“Hm?”

“I love you too.”


End file.
